RANGELEY — Hundreds of people turned out Monday to welcome the remains of a Vietnam War hero home and celebrate Lt. j.g. Neil Brooks Taylor’s life and accomplishments.

Taylor, who grew up in Rangeley, was 25 years old and a member of the U.S. Naval Reserve when he flew his 68th and final mission. While engaged in action against irregular forces on Sept. 14, 1965, in the Mekong Delta, he was shot down and killed, Rangeley Fire Chief and Town Manager Tim Pellerin told those gathered at Evergreen Cemetery.

Taylor’s plane crashed on land near Minh Hai in the Kien Giang province. His remains were recovered by U.S. military personnel on June 24, 2013, and a positive identification was made on Nov. 25, 2014.

A procession of law enforcement officers, military personnel, firefighters, medical responders, the Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association, veterans, community members and many others drove or walked down Main Street, many providing an escort for the family to the cemetery.

Steve Lynch of Rangeley didn’t know Taylor, but held a “Welcome Home Neil” sign as he stood on the side of the road and moved closer to the cemetery as the service started.

It was a “pretty sacred and powerful event,” Lynch said. He has two nephews who served in recent wars.

Anne Marquis Gregory of Falmouth held her copy of “The Tattler,” the Rangeley High School yearbook, that was dedicated to Taylor in 1966.

She didn’t know Taylor, but knew his sister, now known as Ann Taylor Wilber.

Neil Taylor graduated from the Rangeley school in June 1958. During his school years, he served as president of the Student Council, played basketball, participated in track and was involved in drama, Dance Club and other activities.

Students from the Rangeley Lakes Regional School also attended the service.

Pellerin said he was asked by Taylor’s family in late July if they could bring Taylor home to be buried with members of his family, including his parents, Virginia and Milford Taylor.

That was when the planning began.

Pellerin thanked all who gathered for helping “us bring home our great American hero.”

Taylor was born in Farmington on July 18, 1940, and graduated from Rangeley High School. In 1960, he graduated with high honors from Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston, Mass., with a degree in metals engineering, Pellerin said.

In 1962, Taylor enlisted in the U.S. Navy as a seaman. Shortly after completing basic training, he applied for and was accepted as a Naval aviation cadet and started flight training, Pellerin said. He received his wings and a commission as an ensign in the U.S. Naval Reserve on Feb. 18, 1964. After further training, he joined his fleet squadron, VA192, on Aug. 7, 1964, at Atsugi, Japan.

Taylor participated in strike operations in both North and South Vietnam, flying a Douglas A-4C Skyhawk from the Bon Homme Richard, CVA 31, Pellerin said.

He received several air medals and a citation for “exhibiting extraordinary skill and professionalism while under anti-aircraft fire to a direct hit on the exact point selected on the Thanh Hoa Bridge in the face of great personal danger,” Pellerin said.

Even during technical difficulties with the public address system, those gathered stood quietly, straining to hear the Rev. Tony McNaughton’s message.

A lone bagpiper played as a Navy detail from the Navy Operational Support Center in Bangor unfolded a U.S. flag, and an honor guard from Naval Station Newport in Rhode Island fired their rifles. A bugler played taps and the flag was refolded and presented to Ann Taylor Wilber.

Dignitaries, including Gov. Paul LePage, state Sen. Tom Saviello, R-Wilton, U.S. Sen. Susan Collins and U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin spoke to the family and those gathered.

Some of them expressed that the country is free because of those in the military who fought for that freedom, some giving the ultimate sacrifice: their lives. They also said Vietnam military personnel did not receive the respect and gratitude they deserved when they came home.

“America is home of the free because it is home of the brave,” Collins said. “Lt. Taylor was then and is today a hero. … That hero has finally come home.”

dperry@sunmediagroup.net